The program and my experience
For those of you who don't know Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide is a 12 week program. The first 4 weeks is 3 sessions of each resistance training and low intensity cardio, weeks 5-8 are 3 session of resistance training and 5 sessions of cardio. The last 4 weeks are 4 sessions of resistance training, 3 sessions of low intensity cardio and 2 high intensity cardio.I am concluding week 4 of the program at the moment and have seen a slight difference in my body but quite a drastic difference in the overall strength of my body which is more so one of my goals. Being some one who runs frequently the cardio days have been more of a rest for me as they are only 35-45 minutes trying to reach a distance of just over 4 kilometers. That had been quite easy but I've been sticking to the recommendations to avoid over exercising.
The resistance training is 28 minutes of 4 x 7 minutes circuits. I really enjoy these workouts as they are quite challenging but not to challenging that i feel as though they are impossible. Everyone knows their own limits and you always have the option to stop and catch your breath.
The Food Guide
COMPLETE DISASTER!DO NOT FOLLOW THE DIET GUIDE.
It recommends 1600 calories a day. This is the recommended intake for a 9 year old girl! For me doing that amount of exercise it is recommenced that i consumes 2297 calories a day even though in reality i eat closer to 300 calories because i am eating a low fat high carb plant based diet I have to consume a lot more to give me energy throughout the day and to help me with those intense exercises. The food is also not nutritious, she suggests protein based meals. Protein is important for the body but if you are consuming mostly protein your body will have to use that as energy towards the exercise when i should be using the carbohydrates. Carbs should not be feared! Especially complex carbs like sweet potatoes and brown rice which should make up the majority of your diet.
The Price
You can buy the guides online or subscribe to the Sweat app. Both the books are $70 or sold as a bundle for $120. The Sweat app is $4.61 a week or $55 for 3 months. I would recommend trying the sweat app for the one week free trial to see if the exercises and what you like to do because if you're not enjoying them you won't be committed. The programs are very useful but i think you can find very similar ones for free or much cheaper prices. You can even come up with some loosely based on hers once you've been doing them for a few weeks. It all depends how much spare cash you have. I do admit her exercise program is well tested and a productive use of time and energy. But her diet guide is a scam you will only put the weight back on and be at risk of malnutrition.
Be careful and look out for your body. You already have a beautiful body and health always comes before appearance. Take pride in the care you take for yourself
Em xx
